Now that we’re social distancing and people live with the potential for renewed lockdowns, social media has only become more important. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms are valuable for business from the local corner store to global luxury brands. We’re going to look at how social media branding works and better understand what it could add to your business.
What Is Social Media Branding?
Social media branding is the use of specific tactics to engage your audience to increase brand awareness. When a business, especially a small business, focuses its social media posts on branding, the goal is to establish and secure a brand identity. This is something your brand might be doing already. Posts establishing brand identity promote what makes your company unique, recognizable, and worth choosing over competitors.
The best marketing is built upon a foundation of a solid brand identity. This is expressed by how you make your customers feel and is created from multiple elements such as; your logo, brand colors, and tagline, Then your brand identity is further reinforced by your email marketing, customer service, social media channels, and signage.
Today, social media marketing needs to be an integral component of your marketing efforts. And in this time of COVID-19, more important than ever.
Social Media Branding Basics
Let’s take a look at a few of the basic checkboxes you need to tick before you begin your social media branding efforts in earnest.
The first thing you need to is make sure that branding is consistent across all social media channels. Followers should be able to jump from platform to platform with your brand being instantly recognizable. Consistent logos, color palettes, bio, and handle/username. Yes, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc. all have different layouts and image size requirements. However, there should be a commonality across all of your channels.
Once you have everything consistent, develop a guide for you and your team. The guide will ensure that no matter whoever is posting or managing your social media channels; the appearance will have uniformity and the tone of your brand will be consistent.
Your brand voice guidelines should cover the following:
- Brand Persona: The personality of your company. Is it playful and fun? Professional and authoritative?
- Tone: Is your copy warm and personal, or is it more direct and matter of fact?
- Language: Do you use a lot of industry-specific jargon? Is it more simple and open to everyone?
- Purpose: Are you informing and educating or are you entertaining?
The decisions you make about the tone of your communication will be influenced by your product and industry. Be authentic to yourself and your business.
Lastly, include visual guidelines to accompany social media writing style. This can include things such as typography, graphic templates, or the usage of filters. Your photos and videos should align with your brand’s aesthetic and colors.
Work With Your Audience
Audience types vary across social media platforms. Facebook uses tend to be older, with the fastest growing demographic is users over the age of 65. However, on Instagram you’ll find users are mostly between the ages of 13 and 39. So how do you figure out your audience and how to communicate to them? Start by creating marketing/customer personas for each social media platform your brand uses.
A marketing or customer persona can also be known as a buyer persona. But no matter the name they serve the same purpose in your planning. The persona is a representation of your ideal customer with consideration for things such as demographics, desires, interests, and pain points. When you develop personas for each social media platform you’ll be able to craft messages that resonate better with the target audience.
How do you get started? If you don’t have existing sales data, you’ll need to imagine your ideal customer. However, if you have sales data, use it. Find the information that tells you the characteristics of the people who most often buy from you. Then match that data to their most likely preferred social media network. For example, if you own a gardening shop, it’ll probably be Facebook. However, if you run cafe you’ll need to up your Instagram game to connect with Millennials. Personas will help you develop you target the right audience on the right platform with the right content.
Great Customer Service Pays Off
The best thing you can do to build brand loyalty on social media is to be responsive to customer comments and messages. Social media is now the first place customers turn to when they are looking fo help and support.
Data shows that being responsive can directly impact sales. A Sprout Social study found that 30% of people will go to a competitor when a brand fails to respond on social media. Be sure to monitor and check your direct messages, read comments, and respond by addressing customer questions and concerns. Don’t neglect customer service, because it’s integral to building your brand on social media.
Putting It All Together
You can get started right away. Take an inventory of your branding across social media platforms and identify inconsistencies. Then create guidelines so anyone in the company can create a standard look and tone so your brand has uniformity across social media networks.
Create personas of your ideal customer for each social media network and then use those personas to craft your messages so you can get the best response from your target audience.
Engage with customers. Respond to their questions and concerns through both direct messages and comments on posts.
Get posting!
Let’s Talk About Your Brand
shane@3catslabs.com | Call +65-3159-4231
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